(Conclusion)
THE MAN accused of being behind the smear campaign against the expansion of the busy but undersized Caticlan airport is Boracay businessman and resort owner Steve Tajanlangit.
He is one of the pioneer locators in the world-famous holiday destination and owns large properties on the island, having recently sold one such prime piece of real estate to the Shangri-La Hotel group on which a posh resort now stands.
According to Boracay locals and government officials interviewed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer ? many of whom know Tajanlangit personally, and thus spoke anonymously ? the businessman has been at the forefront of efforts to stop the P2.5-billion expansion of the Caticlan airport.
Apart from trying to rally public opinion against the project, they also pointed to Tajanlangit as the instigator of a campaign in the local and national media, which revolves around environmental issues.
More importantly, Tajanlangit is being accused of opposing the Caticlan airport expansion because of his own plans to put up an international airport on nearby Carabao Island ? on a large tract of land which he owns.
It is a charge Tajanlangit denies.
?They all say we?re against Caticlan airport,? the businessman said in an interview with the Inquirer. ?Yes, we?re against it, but we?re not talking against it.?
Tajanlangit claims that leveling a 50-meter hill in Caticlan to make way for an extended runway will result in a ?wind channel? that could potentially blow black sand from the mainland over to Boracay across the narrow strait, contaminating the island?s world-famous white sand.
He distanced himself, however, from the opinion issued by a local official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which put forward this theory.
?I don?t even know that person,? he said.
To counter this argument, the George Yang-led Caticlan International Airport Development Corp. (CIADC) ? backed by the Aklan provincial government ? released copies of official DENR approvals certifying to the environmental soundness of the project.
?The channel is so deep and wide that there is no way the sand from Caticlan can reach Boracay,? said Aklan Representative Florencio Miraflores.
Tajanlangit did admit, however, that he wanted the alternative airport located on his Carabao Island property, which he said was a more ideal location than Caticlan.
?It?s not [land] speculation,? the businessman said. ?That?s not true. We bought the land for the airport, yes. But we don?t have beachfront property. But we might, in the future.?
In fact, the area that Tanjanlangit wants to develop into an international airport has already been fenced in. He said he was just now waiting to seal funding deals with potential partners.
With the right partner, he said the new airport would be ready for operations by as soon as 2012.
Under aviation regulations, however, no two commercial airports are allowed to operate within 25 nautical miles of each other. This is to maintain minimum aircraft separation distances.
This was confirmed by Civil Aviation Administration of the Philippines director general Ruben Ciron, who said that Tajanlangit?s planned Carabao Island airport cannot coexist with Caticlan.
?It?s one or the other,? he said.
While the fight plays out, tourism in Boracay continues to suffer.
In fact, resort operators interviewed by the Philippine Daily Inquirer said that the bulk of their foreign clients have been turned off by the poor transportation infrastructure chain.
?They all love Boracay,? said one manager, requesting anonymity because of personal ties with Tajanlangit. ?But 70 percent of them tell me they will never come back here. It?s simply too much trouble.?
As far as CIADC is concerned, it recently received the approval from Malacaang to break ground on the Caticlan airport expansion, and is set to start reducing the height of the controversial hill today with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leading groundbreaking rites.
But Tajanlangit remained defiant.
?We don?t even have to attack [the Caticlan project],? he said. ?I?m willing to bet they can?t convert that into an international airport.?
Instead, the businessman ? accused of trying to block the deal despite a potential conflict of interest situation ? offered CIADC an alternative solution: ?If they want, they can go into a joint venture deal with us.?
Meanwhile, the tourists and the local economy wait.
